View From The Away End: Sunderland Halt The Slide

Walks on the beach, booze, and Sunderland in the sun - the London Branch lads report in after a weekend in Bournemouth!

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View From The Away End: Sunderland Halt The Slide

Ben Littledyke

Mon, March 2, 2026 at 6:00 AM UTC·
4 min read

After what has felt like a long, blissful period of Sunderland AFC being reasonably competent and not inflicting extended misery on its supporters – stretching all the way back to the play-off first leg – it was important that we put a halt to this recent slump before it develops into a more concerning downturn that could be considered a return to “typical Sunderland” standards.

There have been several mitigating factors, of course. While the first half of the season saw us enjoy unusual luck on the injury front, these days key players seem to be dropping like flies. Our previously solid defence is looking more threadbare, the attack continues to lack consistent end-product, and the siege mentality from earlier in the season seems to have diminished of late.

Urgently in need of a result to boost morale and inject some confidence, we faced two unappealing trips to in-form sides in the shape of Bournemouth and Leeds. The Cherries seem to have somehow thrived since losing their talisman and star player, with Iraola’s side riding on the high of a seven-game unbeaten run.

TNT Sports’ decision to move this long trip to the early kick-off made this one even less enticing, but this Sunderland side do have a habit of stepping up their levels in games where little is expected of them, so there wasn’t a complete dearth of hope before this one.

Unwilling to face an early-morning journey even when already based in London (God bless those who took the overnight coach from the north east), we headed to the south coast on Friday to sample the local hospitality. Bournemouth away is a fixture that ideally needs to be in August or late spring to be enjoyed, but there is still ample entertainment to be found for the weary traveller.

On a bright and pleasant Saturday morning, with a long walk along the beach topped up with breakfast on the pier, we joined the rest of the faithful at the George Taps, one of those Wetherspoons-adjacent venues that’s slightly more expensive and only marginally more salubrious. Perhaps it was the agreeable weather raising everyone’s spirits, but optimism gradually crept into the conversation, and Le Bris’s team selection received unanimous approval.

After squeezing in a couple of quick rounds of pool, we jumped on a local bus that took us straight to the ground with minimal fuss. My only previous visit to the Vitality Stadium (or Dean Court, as it was back then) was a completely unexpected 2-1 comeback win with ten men in the Moyes relegation season. A repeat of that result might not have been as unanticipated, but it would be just as welcome.

The Lads began the game with a markedly improved tempo and balance, doubtless buoyed by the return of Xhaka to the fold. Our bright start was rewarded with the goal we richly deserved when Diarra’s strike was parried to Mayenda, sparking off jubilant celebrations in our sunny corner of the ground.

The second half began just as promisingly, but our Senegalese midfielder was unable to capitalise after being sent through on goal. Bournemouth’s equaliser came from a brilliant cross, even if questions could be asked of our defence and goalkeeper, and the genteel home crowd to our left finally found their voice.

The rest of the game was a tense affair, with both teams only partially threatening to claim all three points. The already lengthy period of added time dragged on for what felt like an eternity, and a few of us were nervously googling the route to the station to make sure we wouldn’t have to leave early to make our train. Thankfully, the final whistle finally sounded and we could applaud the players’ efforts in what was a solid result on the road.

Plenty has been written and spoken about Jarred Gillett’s almost comic ineptitude on the day, but it would be impossible to recount the game without alluding to his pathetic performance. The non-penalty in the opening stages alone was a shambolic decision, but the missed sending-off for Adams and the general lack of any consistency made it one of the worst overall officiating displays in memory. The only plus from our point of view is that it didn’t stop us from at least claiming a point.

A very enjoyable away trip was wrapped up nicely when news filtered through on the train that Jordan Pickford had kept our illustrious neighbours below us in the table. A tricky trip to Leeds awaits, before an even trickier FA Cup trip on the weekend (because we don’t even know where it is), but this game at least stopped the rot from creeping in and served as a timely reminder that we do have a competitive side at this level.

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